Synonyms of dodge

dodge 1 of 2

noun

ˈdäj 

as in ruse

a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end

just another dodge to get out of working in the yard

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ruse
• scheme
• trick
• device
• fetch
• gambit
• sleight of hand
• stratagem
• ploy
• juggle
• knack
• jig
• wile
• bluff
• play
• gimmick
• flimflam
• sleight
• feint
• deception
• end run
• cunning
• subterfuge
• artifice
• trickery
• shenanigan
• swindle
• duplicity
• cheating
• hoax
• jugglery
• swindling
• chicanery
• skulduggery
• fakery
• smoke screen
• fraud
• blind
• gaff
• legerdemain
• dupery
• craft
• sham
• front
• cozenage
• crookery

dodge

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to weave

to move suddenly aside or to and fro

dodging through the crowd on his way to the exit

Synonyms & Similar Words

• weave
• duck
• sidestep
• evade
• zigzag
• avoid
• escape
• turn
• jink
• parry
• elude
• slalom
• deflect
• slide
• slip
• shirk
• skirt

2

as in to circumvent

to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness

always trying to dodge the landlord's rule prohibiting pets

Synonyms & Similar Words

• circumvent
• evade
• avoid
• bypass
• ignore
• escape
• sidestep
• get around
• beat
• skirt
• disobey
• shake
• elude
• shortcut
• prevent
• shun
• duck
• eschew
• deflect
• disregard
• shirk
• outflank
• divert
• end-run
• avert
• obviate
• flout
• parry
• ward (off)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• keep
• follow
• obey
• observe
• comply (with)
• accept
• seek
• pursue
• embrace
• welcome
• accede (to)
• catch
• assent (to)
• acquiesce (to)
• incur
• contract
• court

3

as in to evade

to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery

dodged the horde of paparazzi by leaving through the service entrance

Synonyms & Similar Words

• evade
• avoid
• escape
• elude
• shun
• deflect
• eschew
• shake
• prevent
• scape
• eliminate
• steer clear of
• duck
• shuffle (out of)
• shirk
• finesse
• fight shy of
• stay clear of
• keep clear of
• circumvent
• get around
• weasel (out of)
• parry
• miss
• avert
• thwart
• exclude
• obviate
• preclude
• ward (off)
• rule out
• divert
• ban
• outwit
• bypass
• debar
• foil
• except
• fox
• outsmart
• frustrate
• bar
• outfox
• skirt
• overreach

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• accept
• seek
• pursue
• embrace
• welcome
• catch
• incur
• court
• contract

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dodge

Noun

Florida has a new niche industry to help those who can afford it get out of dodge before a hurricane whirls ashore. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026

Ullrich sees the shift less as a dodge than as a new chair recalibrating how the institution talks. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 8 July 2026

Verb

Delivery guys squeeze by with their handcarts; kids dodge and weave on their scooters; dogs sniff near her ankles and move on. — Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

With the correct number of dots, no arrangement, however cunning, can dodge these shapes forever. — Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026